Talking it out
by Mediamaniac
Summary: Hawkmoth was gone . Ladybug and Chat noir are no longer needed and Marinette and Adrien's lives are getting more and more busy . Lady decides it's time for them to have a serious talk ...


Chat was a _very_ hard person to have a serious talk with .

Wait .

That's not true .

He can be the most mature, understanding listener when she needed to vent or scream or just plain yell for some reason or another and he would either calmly listen or egg her on until she lets all her frustration out on him .

She gets upset or frustrated and he becomes a sweetheart with just enough silliness to break whatever 'I'm fine' excuse she gives .

And then she would apologise and he would smile and they would have a moment and just when her hearts starts melting , he makes some ridiculous pun or joke or flirtation and they're back to normal .

But whenever the conversation involves him , it gets nowhere . The only time he let her help would be when he was too upset to pretend . When she asks how she could help , he holds out his arms and when she walks into them , he hugs her tightly breathing her in like she would disappear if he let go , practically lifting her up . She would squeeze him back murmuring nonsensical reassurances to him until his grip loosened and finally went slack .

Then he would smile at her like she just gave him the greatest gift of his life.

It took her a while to be as attuned to him as he was to her , mostly because in the beginning, she wanted nothing to do with him on a personal level . But after a few months of saving each other's lives , it's hard not to care ...a Lot.

He cared about her and he was open about it to the point where it sounded like a joke . But he proved it with his actions , he wanted more and she was the one who says no .

She cares about him and she shows it with sweet looks , panicked screams , concerned gazes . He shows his care with every fibre of his being so she Can't deny it .

Every question she asks gets brushed aside with a range of teasing and jokes until being serious just seems like a waste of time and only after they separate does she remember that he never actually answered her . Not seriously.

He never does.

' _Are you okay?'_

 _'I'm purrfect when I'm with you m'lady'_

 _'Does it hurt?'_

 _'Very much . Will you kiss it better for me ?'_

 _'Have you been sleeping alright?'_

 _'Many a sleepless night I have suffered as thoughts of you haunt my night '_

Or maybe he does and she just never noticed .

He was always so silly , so outspoken . The idea that he could manipulate a conversation , do anything that involved restraint and planning was... was... _ridiculous_ . He always leaped before he looked . He was impulsive , reckless ...

...and smart.

Far smarter than she gave him credit for .

But this time she was prepared .

She always let him brush of his problems, focus on hers .Mainly not because she didn't want to force him , but because she couldn't .

' _Quite dodging the question , Chat ! You know you can trust me !'_

 _'I know , m'lady . The question is do you really want to know ...'_

The look on his face would speak for him .

'Do you really want to know my secrets ? Do you really want to know who I am ? Because if you say yes ...I won't hold back .'

Yes , Chat had restraint . A lot of it . He could be patient and cunning and have you think you're winning while falling right into his trap .

He knew exactly how to push her to silence .

He knew she could never force him to tell him something personal when she makes such a big deal about keeping their separate lives separate.

Sure they still talked . They knew each other's favourite food , activities, movies, games . They knew each other's dreams , wishes , fantasies , hopes ...nothing concrete , just stuff .

He knew her fears , nightmares , ...and even a bit of her life .

She knew his kwami was annoying and no one ever checked up on him when he was supposed to be sleeping .

She also figured out a lot of stuff he never consciously told her .

She knew he didn't have the most loving family , she knew he preferred getting thrown into cars over going home , she knew he's never gotten a homemade ...anything .

She knew that he smiles and laughs like he doesn't have a care in the world and had everything he wanted but considers a homemade bag of cookies for friendship day a present worth crying for .

She knew that he acts like he knows everybody loves him but looks with eyes filled with disbelief the first time She told told him he was important to him or amazing when they weren't teasing or in the middle of a battle.

She knew he acts like the person he wanted to be , happy , free , clueless , confident ...she knew he wasn't always like that . She knew he never wanted her to know that .

But she did .

And this time , they are going to talk whether he likes it or not ..., whether She likes it or not .

They couldn't keep brushing this off .

Not anymore.

"My lady?..."

The spotted heroine turned away from her view of the paris skyline to see her partner staring at her in confusion . She noticed how his eyes widened lightly when he saw her face before they lowered and an easy grin spread over his lips .

He knew her well .

"Well , I hope m'lady wasn't waiting long for her prince ."

"My prince is probably sleeping right now . I guess I'll have to do with an alley cat "

He grinned even wider before clutching his chest in mock pain .

"Oh ! How you wound me ! I am 100 percent house-trained "

She snorted .

"I'll believe it when I see it ."

"Is that an invitation to move in together ? M'lady . I'm flattered but we are too much young ... _for now"_ He finished in a conspiring tone.

' _Nice try , kitty '_ She knew him better than he thought she did .

"If not now , then when." She teased back , enjoying how his mouth fell slack in shock before snapping back shut . He shook his head with a chuckle and strutted towards her , taking a seat next to her at the edge of the eiffel tower .

"John Lewis ...nice ..."

He turned towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder , his face soft and accepting just like all the other times he comforted her .

"...what's wrong , m'lady.?"

She smiled . Typical Chat .

"Nothing . I just wanted to talk ."

He blinked before giving a small smile .

"Okay , watcha wanna _chat_ about , m'lady?"

Her eyes narrowed . His grin widened.

"Chat , don't start ..."

"Start what ? Is something _bug-_ ging you ?"

She reminded herself to be calm . He was the picture of innocence . As if.

"Listen Chat , I am not in the mood for this ."

"How un- _fur_ -tunate, m'lady. _Claws_ I'm _feline purr_ -ty _claw_ -er right now ."

She gaped at him , her mind slowly unscrambling his words .

"You ...no..."

" _Purr_ -haps , the _purr_ -ns are too _purr_ -fect for the..."

" **SHUT UP!** " She screamed grabbing him by his bell , all calmness was gone . He just grinned like a cat that got his cream .

"Okay..."

Her grip loosened .

"... _cat's_ all."

Her eyes began to twitch .

"Okay , I sup _purr_ -se that was a bit ..."

" **NO**!"

She lurged clamping his mouth shut with her hands pushing them both onto the surface of the ledge . See , this is why they can never have a serious conversation . How are you supposed to take his guy seriously? _HOW_ ?

"I talk , you listen . _Then_ , you talk . Understood?"

She removed her hands from his mouth . He grinned.

" _Paw_ -sitive"

She fell with a groan landing on his chest . But she didn't made an attempt to move . She snuggled against his chest folding her arms under her head as a claw made its way to one her pigtails and began playing with it . She looked up to see him staring up at the stars with one of his arms supporting his head .

They stayed in silence for a while before she spoke.

"Chat?..."

"Mm...mm..."

"...do you love me ?"

His hand froze in her hair , his body went stiff and his eyes widened in shock .

He didn't reply . But she could tell he regretted their position right now . He was trapped under her near the edge of the ledge . He couldn't escape .

"You can talk now ."

.

.

He still said nothing , his eyes glaring at the sky as he tried to find an answer . His face remained rigid and impassive . She tugged at the clawed hand that rested in her hair and wound her fingers with his pulling it closer to her before brushing her lips against them .

His eyes shot down to her wide-open as she press her lips against his fingers with her eyes closed .

She could hear his heart beating almost as fast as her own .

Adrien never talked , he didn't know how to . That was something that carried on to his chat noir persona . The only person he's completely free around is his kwami and Plagg wasn't really a conversationalist. He knew how to tell people what they wanted to hear but someone who cared about him was rare and he didn't want to waste the time he had them whining. He didn't want them to worry and ...he didn't think he could stop if he started . He didn't think he could let go after he let them that close .

He's so used to being let go .

And this ...this was too much.

"Stop ..."

Blue eyes opened to see bright green ones staring back , wide , ...scared.

"...please..."

Her lips left his limp fingers as she took in his flushed face , his heavy breathing which lifted her up and down with every deep breath and his eyes , the window to his soul , wide open in disbelief and ...fear.

"Chat?.."

"...don't ...please..." Don't ruin what we have . I need what we have .

Don't break my heart again.

Her eyes softened as she settled back on his chest and played with his fingers .

"Hawk moth is gone ..."

She focused on his heart beats and his breathing , they were more telling that his face .

"...Ladybug and Chat noir are no longer needed ..."

He looked back up at the stars forcing himself to listen . He knew this was coming but he'd been avoiding this for so long , he just...just...

He let out a deep breath and relaxed his body before playing with her fingers .

"Yeah..."

She smiled.

"...remember that time I was panicking because I wouldn't be able go to a dance because I lost the tickets and we spend hours searching for them..."

He chuckled .

"...yeah...you were freaking out about how you were going to die cause your crush asked you out and you would have to cancel and then we found the tickets and you were freaking out about about how you can't dance..."

She gave a sad smile .

"...and you said ' Fear not , m'lady , your fairy godfather will save the day ' and gave a ridiculous twirl ..."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'elegant '."

"Nope, ridiculous ."

"Magical?"

"ridiculous"

"I regret helping with you now ."

"Poor baby."

They gave each other a smile , knowing what was to come .

"He never complained when I stepped on his feet , just smiled , ...just like you did when you taught me ..."

"You were horrible at it ..."

She slapped his chest.

"I wasn't that bad."

"You spinned off the roof ."

" _You_ spinned _me_ off the roof "

"Show respect to you teacher ."

"Yeah , the teacher who laughed for about half-an-hour after tossing me off a roof ."

"Hey! I caught you"

"And then laughed for half-an hour."

"It was punny!"

Her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry , it slipped out ."

She sighed.

"We've gotten closer these past few years ..."

"You and me or you and ...him."

"...both. But I'm talking about him."

"I see."

She closed her eyes , her breath coming out in shutters.

"Tomorrow's graduation... I was thinking of confessing then ..."

His body tensed and he let out a shaky exhale but he didn't speak .

"...but I don't if I can , cause every time I used to try ..."

She looked back up at him .

"...I think about you ..."

His eyes widened and slowly moved down to catch hers staring back with confused eyes . It was strange , realising she felt guilty for being with Adrien when Chat was on her mind despite the fact Chat didn't know the real her .

At least , not all of the real her . Sometimes the mask slips and each time he looked at her no less .

"Then I remember the girl you said you liked ..."

"I didn't..."

She smiled.

"You said she was an amazing , funny and cute and you were so lucky to get her as a partner ..."

"That was...I ..."

"...and that was incredibly talented and was winning awards and would probably win awards in the future ..."

"Well , she is..."

"Chat ...she's the only girl you ever mention . It's like your bragging about her .."

He froze , eyes blinking as realisation set in . He brought his arm from under his head and covered his eyes falling flat on the ledge with a groan . She felt her heart hurt , similar to when he used to bring her up , but she understood.

She understood all too well.

"You love her ."

It was simple really . She noticed how his affection lessened in intensity , still real but less over-the-top extravagant. She noticed how bright his face would get when he talked about 'the cute girl who sits behind him but seems uncomfortable around him , did he do something wrong ?'

It was funny how he never realised she probably just had a crush on him and why wouldn't she ? Even Ladybug herself couldn't stop thinking about him despite already being in love with , in all technical terms , a perfect boy , who may or may not actually be a bit of a dork .

But that just made him cuter , really .

"She likes you too."

She can't say love . It's not her place , but the girl definitely had a crush on him and she never told him that partly because that would force him to choose and partly cause she didn't want him to choose her .

Well, she's telling him now. That clueless cat.

"I love _you_."

It's a murmur , but she hears it clear as day .

"I know...I love you too ..."

She feels his body tense , knowing that there's a 'but'.

"...but I love him as well ,...I never stopped ."

Chat removes his arms from his eyes but stares straight at the sky . His hand leaves her fingers and presses her head to his chest in a loose hug . His voice comes out weak , resigned , desperate.

"Please don't leave me ..."

Her eyes widened and she attempts to raise her head to look at him but he holds her down .

She lets him . He's not done .

"Never, kitty..."

She feels and hears him let out a deep breath . His body relaxed . He's finally talking ...and she'll listen to every word .

"...I can never believe people when they tell me they love me ...because they always lie ..."

She froze . What? Why? How ? Her mind went hazy , the warm hand on her head was the only thing keeping her still.

"...my family should love me ,...but he doesn't ..."

No, no ,no , abort , too much . NO! Listen . She has to listen . But how ? How could that be? How could anyone...

"...everybody else acts like they love me but I feel it's mostly only because I do what they want me to do ..."

His voice was mechanical, like he was stating the facts . There were no doubt , no assumptions .

"...I lucked out with one guy , but my dad doesn't like him . He still sticks with me though ...the only other person who knows me ..."

He gently lifted her head to meet her eyes with his own . Gentle , loving eyes .

"...is you... I can believe You..."

A tear dripped down her cheek as she unfolded her hands and wrapped them around his neck unable to keep still after hearing the pain in his voice . His other arm was supporting his head as he looked down at her with loving eyes.

"...and it's true that I think ma...I mean , the girl is ...amazing and she makes me happy and I ...care about her but ...I don't think I could believe her if she thought she felt that way about me ...and...that's why... , that's why I don't want to let myself think that... _That_...at least ,...not yet ."

He lowered his hand to wipe away her tears . His face gentle and understanding.

"You told me once that ladybug was just a mask , but every time I saw past it , I only loved you more . But my mask is my real face , ...m'lady. No matter what you may think , I love _you_ . It's true I might love ...someone else too , but I _know_ I love you ..."

She didn't know what to say . It was simple for her in a way . He liked one part of her but she liked someone else who saw her whole self . She knew his mind wouldn't change much if he met the real her though . In a way he was the better choice . He had nothing but good things to say about Marinette when he met her before but ...

...but she loved Adrien. It only became more real as she got to know him more.

"...ands that's why I can only hope ...my lady gets her happy ending ..."

His eyes softened , but she could see his guard go back up , trying to hide his pain .

"...even if it's not with me ."

She tried to choke back a sob .

She failed.

"I'm _sorry_ ,... _Oh Chat_ , I'm _so_ sorry..." Sorry for hurting you, sorry for loving you , sorry for not knowing if this is the right thing or the biggest mistake I'll ever make.

A pair of lips gently pressed against the top of her head .

"It not your fault , m'lady ...but...can ..."

He hesitated . She blinked away her tears and looked up at him . He was staring back at the sky , his face scrunched up in frustration. He wanted to ask her something.

"What is it , Chat?"

"I was wondering...is it okay if ..."

He let out a sigh .

"...never mind."

Her eyes narrowed and she braced herself on her arms on either of his head and she raised herself up to look him right in his eyes . His eyes widened , but she could see the trace of tears in his eyes. They soon became guarded again but he didn't make any stupid comment despite the slow opening and closing of his mouth .

That along spoke volumes.

"Chat . What is it?"

"Nothing important.."

"I'll decide that . Just tell me... _please_..."

His eyes closed for a minute , all scrunched up as he let out another sigh and forced himself to relax . Hearing such resigned sounds from her cat was... painful .

"Can we still ..." He forced out the words "can we still...meet?"

 _'Please don't leave me ...'_

She froze , her heart practically bursting at the sight of his face forcibly impassive and tense as he waited for her rejection. She'd made it every clear she didn't want him in her personal life .

Her body relaxed and she lowered her head to lay her forehead against his , silently urging him to open his eyes .

He slowly obeyed , but once he caught sight of the soft eyes that were staring back at him , he couldn't look away . His mouth disconnected from his brain.

"The stars in your eyes put the sky to shame ."

Her eyes closed as she giggled , a small blush on her face . He regretted loosing sight of the mesmerising eyes but the blush and giggle were good alternatives. Then she opened her eyes again and he was captivated again , having to force himself to listen to her words.

"Not as often as usual ...we're both gonna be busy with college and stuff..."

He focused on her eyes , pushing back the pain in his heart.

"...but maybe we can meet up for lunch or something once in a while ."

His eyes widened . Impossible ...

"...as ladybug and chat noir?"

He questioned , not letting himself believe that she meant... That she actually...

The gentle smile on her face and the softening of her eyes told him the answer . But her sweet voice confirmed it.

"No."

He gulped. One of her hands that was supporting her moved to her ear and one of his fingers lightly touched his ring .

"...are you sure?"

"Yes."

"...You don't have to."

"I _want_ to ."

"...everything will be different . Will you still..."

"I told you before ,kitty ..." She lowered her face , her eyes lowering , his own eyes following suite .

After this they won't be just Ladybug and Chat noir anymore . Who's on the other side of the mask ? Who's the other face of someone who's irreplaceable to them ? Will their feelings change?

"...I will _Never_ leave you."

Is this the last time they feel like this ?

Their lips brush as they watch each other through eyes hooded under heavy lids and give a exhale a whisper simultaneously before their lips press together .

"Transformation release."

They feel the smooth material of their costumes wear off to give way to simpler material .

The hand that moves down to her neck losses its claws and is replaced by warm hands that cause a shiver down her back . She feels him support himself with the arm that was under his head as he raises himself to press more firmly against her lips, pushing her more upright and her own hands leave their previous positions to wrap around his neck and brush through his hair . Her body draped over him as the feeling of power leaves , but not completely.

 _'It's the last time..._ 'She reminds herself'... _the only time..._ '

He feels her warmth surround him . He wants to grab her and hold her forever but instead he rises , moving his arm to support them as she throws her arms around his neck . He doesn't know how he can let her go , but he knows this is a good bye . He feels her smooth neck finally able to feel with his own hands . His free hand loosens her hairband and buries into her hair.

They can feel their masks disappear, but they don't open their eyes .

They slowly separate their lips to breath before gently pressing back again . He tilts her head and presses his lips against her nose , then her cheeks , then eyes, the absence of the mask being firmly noted , then her forehead for a few seconds .

Her hands move from around his neck to his face as she saddles him and lifts herself up to brush her lips against his forehead , then his eyes , then nose , then both his cheeks before firmly pressing back against his lips .

 _ **"WOULD**_ **YOU TWO JUST OPEN YOUR BLOODY EYES , ALREADY ?"**

Both eyes shot open and looked to the source of the scream to see a red kwami trying to shut a black kwami 's mouth with her fins . Tikki looks at them apologetically , but Plagg just looks annoyed.

The fact that they were seeing what could only be each other's kwami caused them to freeze . Neither of them were in their most confident suit right then . Marienette's hands moved down to his shoulders.

Plagg' s eyes narrowed even further as he noticed their hesitation and he opened his mouth just as Tikki grabbed him and shot off . They stared at the disappearing kwami before nervously closing their eyes again.

"So...on three ?"

"Ye...yeah..."

They both let out a deep breath and turned back to each other with their eyes closed again . A quiet frustrated groan was cut off in the distance.

"One..."

She whispered , remembering his warmth , his gentle touch refusing to let in the memory of the sweet , polite boy who stole her heart first . Not right then.

"Two..."

He murmured , memorising her voice , her smell, her warmth and saving it in memory pushing away the image of a cute , amazing fashion designer who made her way into his life .

"Three..."

They whispered together . Their foreheads pressed together as they realished the familiar peace before opening the new chapter.

Their eyes flickered open to look at each other before widening and their heads shot apart .

His hand was still in her hair , in _Marinette_ 's hair and his body fell a bit slack as his other arm that held his upper body up sagged as he stared up at her.

Her hands were still on his strong shoulders, _Adrien's_ shoulders as she sat upright on his lap , saddling him as she looked down wide-eyed at him.

Memories flashed across their minds , as if taunting them for being So Freaking Clueless.

' _Um...Adrien...are you ...well...Are you going to the ...the dance this...next weekend?.'_

 _'Oh yeah ! I don't have a date and the tickets are sold out so...'_

 _'Um ...if you don't mind ...if you want ...maybe we can go together ?... I Have Tickets.'_

 _'...Sure, sounds like fun'_

 _._

 _'Are those tickets really that important?'_

 _'Of course those tickets are important . I'm going with my crush . I can't cancel ...'_

 _So much unnecessary pain._

 _'Found them . Gotta love night-vision '_

 _'Oh ! My ! Gosh ! Thank you so much ! Now all I have to do is not humiliate him if we actually dance '_

So much pain.

' _Fear not , m'lady , your fairy godfather will save the day '_

 _._

 _._

 _'Marinette Cheng and Adrien Argeste '_

 _'Adrien, I ...well...I just...'_

 _'If your uncomfortable with me , I can ask for another partner ...'_

 _'What? No? I just...I just wanted to know if we could go the library to work on the project .'_

 _'Well,if your sure ...that sounds great .'_

 _._

 _'You seem happy , Chat'_

 _'I had an amazing day. I think I might have a new friend '_

 _'Bet it wasn't as amazing as mine .'_

 _'No way ! I got lucky and landed the best partner ever for a class presentation . She's smart and cute and once she stops being so jumpy , a Lot of fun .'_

 _'...sounds like a nice girl . Jumpy?'_

 _'Yeah , she was always so quiet and nervous around me but so ...bright around other people . Her friend even tease her about it . Until today , I thought she didn't even like me . Turns out , a near-impossible thing happened.'_

 _'What ?'_

 _'I was **wrong** '_

 _'...She sounds like a great girl .'_

 _'She is ..'_

 _._

 _'He gave the most beautiful present for my birthday . He's so sweet.'_

 _._

 _'She made me friendship chocolate . She's amazing in the kichen.'_

 _._

.

.

.

How?

' _He's actually kinda a dork . It's pretty cute how he tries to be all cool '_

Did?

' _She's really strong-minded and talented.'_

They?

' _He has a problem with puns. Good thing it's already grown on me thanks to you'_

Not?

' _She's a lot sassier than she looks_ '

Know?

They were brought back from their haze by another shout .

"FINALLY! IF I HAD TO LISTEN TO ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR SAPPY ...mmph .. ** _._** "

"Plagg! Keep _quiet_ !"

They never looked away from each other this time . Their eyes traced each other's features , their minds yelling at them for being _So Stupid_ ,...Their hearts screaming at them to not do anything that might ruin the dream in front of them .

Their mouths were , unfortunately, connected to their brain.

"So..."

"So..."

He chuckled before raising himself up to see her through lowered eyes sparkling with mirth.

"...who knew your fairy godfather was your prince too?"

She chuckled too before breaking into laughter , her hands covered her face . How ? How ? How? ...

How could they say they loved each other when they couldn't even recognise each other?

' _the girl is ...amazing and I ...care about her but ...I don't think I could believe her if she thought she felt that way about me ...and...that's why... , that's why I don't want to let myself think that...That...at least ,...not yet '_

 _'No matter what you may think , I love you . It's true I might love ...someone else too , but I know I love you ...'_

 _'Tomorrow's graduation... I was thinking of confessing then ...but I don't if I can , cause every time I used to try ...I think about you ...'_

They did recognise each other , without even knowing it .

She laughed , throwing her arms back around his neck and hugging him tight .

"You and your dumb bad luck."

He practically chortled as he returned the hug wrapping his arms around her in return .

"You and your _paw_ -some good luck."

She pulled back with a roll of her eyes and looked down to see the two guys she loved looking back at her with bright green eyes and an infectious grin . The embarrassment of their position was crawling up on her but then she remembered , that was Chat's face . Adrien was rarely if ever this open and expressive , this was her kitty and her prince...

' _Come on , Marinette. Chat noir is purr-ty cool , right?'_

' _Ladybug, it's nothing okay . Just family stuff.'_

...and the person she loved .

"I can't believe you used to fish for compliments about _yourself_ ."

He looked up at her with pure glee . A part of him still expecting to wake up in a cold room and fall back into a restless sleep . This was too perfect . She loved him . She Loved Him . And not just Adrien Argeste, the rich , polite, kinda dorky model , but also Chat noir , the mysterious, teasing , completely dorky loser (according to her anyway).

 _'I didn't ...I just ...it wasn't ...I...I was just ...checking for lice ?...okay , I thought your hair looked soft and I ...are you laughing ? Stop laughing , Chat !...wha...I...um...I Am Not Blushing !'_

 _'Even if Chole's a pain , she still needs to be protected . It's the right thing to do , so...so I did it.'_

...it was obvious why he fell her all over again.

"I can't believe you fangirl over me when I meet you ...though I do understand , had to get it out of your system somehow ."

She smiled replied shaking her head mockingly .

"Meow, meow , meow..."

He grinned and nuzzled her nose with half-lidded eyes.

" _Purrrrrr_..."

She blushed ... _Bright . Red_ .

He loved this girl . It was the law . It was fact . And unlike what he thought was happening the past year , it would _never_ change. The only person who even remotely made him question that turned out to be _her_.

"Sh...shut up , you stupid ..."

"I love you..."

She froze .

He pulled her close and nuzzled into her shoulder .

"Chat, ...I mean A...Adrien..."

"...I love you , I love you, I love you ,..."

He fell back to the floor pulling her down with him and rolled her under him before rising up with his arms and looked down at her in all her red-faced , messy hair , fiery eyed beauty . All the worry , pain and confusion he felt was gone .

It was simple .

He loved her . All of her.

That was it.

Simple.

"...I love you."

She was flustered but determined to answer him .

"Adrien , I ...we need to think about this ...I mean , yes I love you but shouldn't we talk first or something ? think this through? I mean what..."

He chuckled and kissed her nose , causing her to shut up . She was confused. Made sense , she was the planner , he was the impulsive one . But for him , it was simple and whatever she decided , this was the greatest day of his life .

She loved him , he loved her .

But he understood that she needed time to process . He would give it to her . The balls in her court , all he had to say was one thing .

Marienette watched as half-lidded green eyes filled with love looked down at her and soft lips spread to give a gentle smile before speaking with such a silky , soft tone , she practically melted .

"I love you...My Lady , _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_..."

It the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen or heard . Her breath caught in her throat . She forgot how to breathe . Her eyes were unblinking as he lowered his lips to her ear and whispered the remaining part into her ear almost as if he was trying to keep those words separate .

"...that is my decision . The rest is yours ."

With that he pecked her cheek and pushed himself off the ground and bend down , holding out a hand for her . She reached for it wordlessly and he effortlessly pulled her to her feet and straightened her when she stumbled.

Their eyes never left the others . His were soft , patient , understanding, peaceful . Hers were wide , surprised , confused ..

Both were shining with love.

He lifted her hand to his lips , eyes never leaving hers.

"See you tomorrow, ... _My love_."

With that he raised his right hand as he walked backwards , his eyes never leaving hers .

"Transform ! Chat Noir !"

He distantly heard Plagg yell something as he was sucked into the ring and felt the power flow into him as his body became enclosed in his usual black cat attire , his tail swinging widely behind him . As his feet finally ran out of solid ground and hit the air , he took once last look at the eyes that kept him mesmerised and grinned giving a wink before free-falling backwards off the eiffel tower.

.

.

.

"Mari?..."

The girl in question snapped out of her haze to see her kwami stare at her with a mixture of worry and amusement ...

Mainly the latter.

Marienette rewound the night in her head unable to fully wrap it up in her head . Her head was so clear a few seconds ago . Adrien was Chat noir, she's been teasing , flirting and fighting with the same boy she couldn't look in the eye for too much time without turning red .

Shocking , yes ...but after realising how she fell for her partner too ,how she lost the idea of her classmate being an unreachable perfect person , it became ...obvious.

The kind of obvious that you don't wanna admit cause it feels like cheating. The guy you like is the guy who likes you . It had to be your imagination.

But it wasn't .

Now what ?

 _'I love you...My Lady , Marinette Dupain-Cheng ...that is my decision . The rest is yours .'_

"Mari? ...lets go home ."

She nodded , transformed and returned to her home before changing into pyjamas , getting Tikki some cookies and collapsing on her bed , staring at the ceiling .

"Just listen to your heart , Mari . It'll turn out fine "

"Thanks Tikki "

She knows she has nothing to worry about . She loved him , he loved her . It was fact . She had no more excuses.

Why was she so desperate to find one ?

Same reason she wanted to keep Chat away from her personal life , same reason she was happy Adrien and her became friends and used the 'I don't want to ruin this' and 'I like Chat 'excuses to not ask him out .

She was scared .

She knows Adrien's life was complicated. He wasn't even in control of most of it . Being his girlfriend will come with a lot of hate and hurt . Plus he was ...amazing . He could have any girl he wanted . It would make sense if he liked ladybug but she remembers how Chat would describe her and the jealousy she would push down .

Now she knows that was how he saw her and ...what if it didn't last ?

Then , there was the Chat noir part . She thought the only thing amazing about her was the fact she was a superhero , turns out , so was he . Not only that , he's also kind , loving , funny , understanding and not perfect just enough to be _completely_ Perfect.

 _'I love you...My Lady , Marinette Dupain-Cheng ...'_

Her dream words from her dream boy /best guy friend. Things had already changed . And the only thing keeping her from the greatest guy she knows was her own insecurity . The same thing he has crushed down so many times .

 _'Fear not , m'lady , your fairy godfather will save the day '_

 _'You're a fun person to dance with , Marinette '_

 _'...I can never believe people when they tell me they love me ...because they always lie ...'_

 _'...I can believe you.'_

' _...it's really nice how you're always so expressive ,...'_

 _'...I like that about you.'_

 _._

 _._

She finally let out a smile , all doubts gone from her mind.

 _'I love you ... don't leave me ...my silly purr-fect prince.'_

"Marienette **?!.**.."

Her eyes snapped down to see Alya at the edge of the bed , looking at her with wide eyes.

"...Have you been awake the whole night ? Why didn't you answer me?.."

Marienette's lips spread to give a smile . Her eyes were shinning.

"I'm going to confess to Adrien "

Alya blinked at her with wide , searching eyes before giving a loud laugh .

" ** _FINALLY_** _**!"**_

 ** _AN:-_**

 ** _SO LONG ! I started this and it just went on, and on, and on ... I hope you liked it ._**

 ** _Please review ._**


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